Information life cycle management system, information management server apparatus, information media controlling apparatus and program

ABSTRACT

According to one embodiment, even when the information media controlling apparatus which requests replication registration of electronic data and the information media controlling apparatus which acquires a child management file generated by replication registration are separate apparatuses, the information management server apparatus registers a child management ID of electronic data and a post office box ID of the acquisition destination of a child management file, in the post office box management table based on replication registration request information received from one information media controlling apparatus, and has the other information media controlling apparatus which is the acquisition destination acquire the child management file based on the post office box management table.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a Continuation Application of PCT Application No.PCT/JP2009/071345, filed Dec. 22, 2009, which was published under PCTArticle 21(2) in Japanese, and which is based upon and claims thebenefit of priority from prior Japanese Patent Application No.2008-333595, filed Dec. 26, 2008, the entire contents of both of whichare incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an information life cycle managementsystem, an information management server apparatus, an information mediacontrolling apparatus and a program which can prevent an occurrence of aperiod in which an information life cycle of a child management filecannot be managed.

2. Description of the Related Art

A technique is proposed which manages an information life cycle ofsingle document data. As techniques of this kind, a system (see, forexample, Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2005-190365) whichmanages, in a server, a history from printing to discard of a paperdocument assigned an ID (identification), a system (see, for example,Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2007-88796) which managesdocument disposal information such as retrieval or discard by assigningan identifier to print image data, and the like are known.

Further, the inventors of the present invention propose an informationlife cycle management technique in Japanese Patent Application No.2008-27776 of a prior application which was not published upon filing ofthis basic application of the present application. According to thisinformation life cycle management technique, by assigning to aninformation original copy and information media a unique ID forindividual identification of “media containing information”(hereinafter, “information media”) such as digital data or physicalmedia, the status related to creation/discard of information media, aninterrelationship (system or media type) and media use is connected withan information original copy and uniformly and systematically managed.In addition, the physical media are a generic concept including paper,CDROM, DVD, SD card and FD, and are physical information media which arenot related to a method containing information.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

However, although the above information life cycle management techniquesdo not have problems in general use, these techniques can be improved inthe following respect according to the study of the inventors of thepresent invention.

First, according to the proposed information life cycle managementtechnique, parent management data of a replication target needs to existon the client (information media controlling apparatus) side whichrequests replication of a management file, and a management server(information management server apparatus) outputs a replicated childmanagement file to this requesting client.

To pass this child management file to another client, this requestingclient sends the child management file to another client through asystem which is not under control of an information life cyclemanagement system (uniform systematic management system) by means of,for example, an electronic mail, shared folder or portable storage.

The other client sends to the management server a processing completionreport indicating that the child management file is received. Whenreceiving the processing completion report, the management servermanages an information life cycle of the child management file assumingthe location of the child management file as another client.

According to the study of the inventors of the present invention, suchan information life cycle management technique can be improved in thefollowing respect that, when a client which requests replication of amanagement file needs to pass a child management file to another client,the child management file is temporarily brought out of control by aninformation life cycle management system, and therefore an informationlife cycle of the child management file cannot be managed.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide aninformation life cycle management system, an information managementserver apparatus, an information media controlling apparatus and aprogram which can manage an information life cycle of a child managementfile even when a client which requests replication of a management fileneeds to pass a child management file to another client.

An aspect of the present invention is an information life cyclemanagement system which comprises: a plurality of information mediacontrolling apparatuses that can communicate with each other; and aninformation management server apparatus, wherein the information mediacontrolling apparatus includes a management file management tablestoring unit which stores a management file management table in which achild management file including a management ID and an electronic datamain body is written, a unit which transmits new registration requestinformation including an electronic data main body of a managementtarget, to an information management server apparatus, a unit whichtransmits replication registration request information including amanagement ID associated with electronic data of a replicationregistration target and a post office box ID associated with aninformation media controlling apparatus of a replication acquisitiondestination, to the information management server apparatus, a unitwhich transmits a post office box check request including the postoffice box ID to the information management server apparatus, a unitwhich transmits a replication acquisition request including a childmanagement ID associated with a management file of a replicationacquisition target among child management IDs in post office boxconfirmation information received from the information management serverapparatus, to the information management server apparatus, and a unitwhich writes a child management file received from the informationmanagement server apparatus, in the management file management table,wherein the information management server apparatus includes a systemmanagement table storing unit which stores a system management table inwhich a management ID and an entity ID are associated with each otherand written, and a child management ID is associated with the managementID and written, a data original copy management table storing unit whichstores a data original copy management table in which an entity ID andan electronic data main body are written, a post office box managementtable storing unit which stores a post office box management table inwhich a post office box ID and a child management ID are associated witheach other and written, a unit which issues a management ID and anentity ID for an electronic data main body, based on the newregistration request information, registers a management ID and anentity ID in the system management table, and registers an entity ID andan electronic data main body in the data original copy management table,a unit which, when receiving the replication registration requestinformation, issues a child management ID different from a management IDin the replication registration request information, associates thechild management ID with a same management ID as a management ID inreplication registration request information among management IDs in thesystem management table and registers the issued child management ID inthe system management table, associates the child management ID with apost office box ID in a replication registration request to register thechild management ID and the post office box ID in the post office boxmanagement table, and transmits replication registration processingresult information including a child management ID to an informationmedia controlling apparatus which is a transmission source of thereplication registration request information, a unit which, whenreceiving the post office box check request, reads a child management IDassociated with a post office box ID in the post office box checkrequest, from the post office box management table, and transmits postoffice box confirmation information including the child management ID,to an information media controlling apparatus which is a transmissionsource of the post office box check request, and a unit which, whenreceiving the replication acquisition request, reads an entity IDassociated with a child management ID in the replication acquisitionrequest, from the system management table, reads an electronic data mainbody associated with the entity ID from the data original copymanagement table, generates a child management file including the childmanagement ID and the electronic data main body, deletes the childmanagement ID from the post office box management table, and transmitsthe child management file to an information media controlling apparatuswhich is a transmission source of the replication acquisition request.

In addition, according to an aspect of the present invention, althougheach aggregation of apparatuses is represented as a system, the presentinvention is not limited to this, and each aggregation of apparatuses oreach apparatus can be represented as an apparatus, method, program or acomputer readable storage media which stores a program.

according to an aspect of the present invention, even when theinformation media controlling apparatus which requests replicationregistration of electronic data and the information media controllingapparatus which acquires a child management file generated byreplication registration are separate apparatuses, the informationmanagement server apparatus registers a child management ID ofelectronic data and a post office box ID of the acquisition destinationof a child management file, in the post office box management tablebased on replication registration request information received from oneinformation media controlling apparatus, and has the other informationmedia controlling apparatus which is the acquisition destination acquirethe child management file based on the post office box management table.

Consequently, even when a client which requests replication of amanagement file needs to pass a child management file to another client,it is possible to manage an information life cycle of the childmanagement file.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possibleto manage an information life cycle of a child management file even whena client which requests replication of a management file needs to pass achild management file to another client.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of aninformation life cycle management system according to each embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration example of a management file in this system.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of aninformation life cycle management system according to a first embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of aninformation management DB according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of amanagement ID table according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a systemmanagement table according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a postoffice box management table according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of an accesslog table according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a masterpolicy table according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a clientmanagement table according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a dataoriginal copy management table according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of amanagement client DB according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram for describing an operation of newregistration according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram for describing an operation of newregistration according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram for describing an operation of newregistration according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram for describing an operation of newregistration according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram for describing an operation of newregistration according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram for describing an operation ofreplication registration according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram for describing an operation ofreplication registration according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram for describing an operation ofreplication registration according to the first: embodiment.

FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram for describing an operation ofreplication registration according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram for describing an operation ofreplication registration according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a schematic diagram for describing an operation ofreplication registration according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram for describing an operation ofreplication registration according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram for describing an operation ofreplication registration according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 26 is a schematic diagram for describing an operation ofreplication registration according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 27 is a schematic diagram for describing an operation ofreplication acquisition according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 28 is a schematic diagram for describing an operation ofreplication acquisition according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 29 is a schematic diagram for describing an operation ofreplication acquisition according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 30 is a schematic diagram for describing an operation ofreplication acquisition according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 31 is a schematic diagram for describing an operation ofreplication acquisition according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 32 is a schematic diagram for describing an operation ofreplication acquisition according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 33 is a schematic diagram for describing an operation ofreplication acquisition according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 34 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of aninformation life cycle management system according to a secondembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 35 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of aninformation life cycle management system according to a third embodimentof the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, each of embodiments of the present invention will bedescribed using drawings. Incidentally, each of the followingapparatuses can be implemented with a hardware configuration or acombined configuration of hardware resources and software. Asillustrated in FIG. 1, for software of the combined configuration, aprogram is used which is installed in computers of correspondingapparatuses 101, and 201 ₁ to 201 _(m), in advance from a network orstorage media M and M1 to Mm and which realizes functions of thecorresponding apparatuses 101 and 201 ₁ to 201 _(m).

First, terms and an overview will be described which serve as aprecondition for an information life cycle management system in thisdescription. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configurationof an information life cycle management system according to eachembodiment of the present invention. This information life cyclemanagement system employs a configuration where an informationmanagement server apparatus 101 which uniformly and systematicallymanages information media and a plurality of information mediacontrolling apparatuses 201 ₁ to 201 _(m) which use uniformly andsystematically manage information media can individually communicate.Here, any information media controlling apparatus of each of theinformation media controlling apparatuses 201 ₁ to 201 _(m) will berepresented as “information media controlling apparatus 201”.

The information media controlling apparatus 201 has a storage devicewhich stores a management file management table and the followingfunctions (f201-1) to (f201-5) as a generalized configuration exceptvarious authorizing functions and log storing functions. In themanagement file management table, a child management file including amanagement ID and an electronic data main body is written.

(f201-1) denotes a function of transmitting new registration requestinformation including an electronic data main body of a managementtarget, to the information management server apparatus 101.

(f201-2) denotes a function of transmitting to the informationmanagement server apparatus 101 replication registration requestinformation including a management ID associated with electronic data ofa replication registration target and a post office box ID associatedwith the information media controlling apparatus 201 of a replicationacquisition destination.

(f201-3) denotes a function of transmitting a post office check boxrequest including a post office box ID, to the information managementserver apparatus 101.

(f201-4) denotes a function of transmitting to the informationmanagement server apparatus 101 a replication acquisition requestincluding a child management ID associated with a management file of areplication acquisition target among child management IDs in post officebox confirmation information received from the information mediacontrolling apparatus 201.

(f201-5) denotes a function of writing a child management file receivedfrom the information management server apparatus, in a management filemanagement table.

The information management server apparatus 101 has a storage devicewhich has a system management table, a data original copy managementtable and a post office box management table, and the followingfunctions (f101-1) to (f101-5) as a generalized configuration exceptvarious authorizing functions and log storing functions. In the systemmanagement table, management IDs and entity IDs are associated andwritten, and child management IDs are associated with the management IDsand written. In the data original copy management table, entity IDs andelectronic data main bodies are written. In the post office boxmanagement table, post office box IDs and child management IDs areassociated with each other and written.

(f101-1) denotes a function of issuing a management ID and entity ID foran electronic data main body based on new registration requestinformation received from the information media controlling apparatus201, registering the management ID and entity ID in the systemmanagement table, and registering the entity ID and electronic data mainbody in the data original copy management table.

(f101-2) denotes a function of issuing a child management ID differentfrom a management ID in replication registration request informationwhen receiving replication registration request information, associatingthe child management ID with the same management ID as the management IDin replication registration request information among management IDs inthe system management table and registering this issued child managementID in this system management table, associating and registering thischild management ID and a post office box ID in a replicationregistration request in a post office box management table, andtransmitting replication registration processing result informationincluding the child management ID, to the information media controllingapparatus 201.

(f101-3) denotes a function of, when receiving a post office box checkrequest, reading a child management ID associated with the post officebox ID in the post office box check request from the post office boxmanagement table, and transmitting post office box confirmationinformation including this child management ID, to the information mediacontrolling apparatus 201.

(f101-4) denotes a function of, when receiving a replication acquisitionrequest, reading an entity ID associated with a child management ID in areplication acquisition request from a system management table, readingan electronic data main body associated with this entity ID from a dataoriginal copy management table, and generating a child management fileincluding this child management ID and electronic data main body.

(f101-5) denotes a function of deleting the child management ID from thepost office box management table, and transmitting the child managementfile to the information media controlling apparatus 201.

Here, information media mean “media containing information” such aselectronic data or physical media (paper media or storage media). Forstorage media, CDROM, DVD, SD card, FD and the like can be used, forexample. Accompanying this, each of the information media controllingapparatuses 201 ₁ to 202 _(m) can be realized if an apparatus canreceive an input of electronic data. For example, each of theinformation media controlling apparatuses 201 ₁ to 202 _(m) is realizedas various apparatuses such as a mobile telephone, a PC (PersonalComputer), a digital all-in-one machine, a printer, a copying machine, ascanner, a shredder, a microfilm reader, a DVD reader, and amulti-drive, and operates in conjunction with the information managementserver apparatus 101.

Such an information life cycle management system assigns a uniquemanagement ID (Identification) for individual identification of theabove information media, connects the status related to creation/discardof information media, an interrelationship (system or media type) andmedia use of information media with an information original copy basedon the management ID for uniform and systematic management.

When an information medium is electronic data, the information lifecycle management system converts this electronic data into an electronicfile of a file format including a management ID. The convertedelectronic file is referred to as a “management file”.

The management file includes header information including a managementID and attribute information, an access control policy and authorizationinformation for this management file, in addition to the electronic datamain body of target information. As illustrated in a configurationexample of FIG. 2, the management file has a header part, an accesscontrol policy part, a body part and an authentication data part.

The header part includes a management ID of this electronic data, amanagement ID of parent information media, generation number, mediatype, file information, file storage information, and informationmanagement server information. However, the configuration of the headerpart is not limited to this.

For the management ID of parent information media, for example, amanagement ID of source electronic data when electronic data is copied,a management ID of source electronic data when electronic data isprinted on paper media and the paper is output, and a management IDassigned to paper media when paper media converted by a scanner intoelectronic data are used.

The generation number is a generation numerical value which indicateswhich generation this management file belongs to in the systemrelationship managed as parent, child and grandchild, starting from themanagement file registered first in this management system. For example,when the generation number of a parent management file is 1, thegeneration number of child information media of its replication is 2,and further, the generation number of grandchild information media ofreplication of the child information media is 3. However, the expressionformat of the generation numbers is not limited to this.

The file information includes a file format of this electronic data,file size, creator information of this electronic data, creation dateinformation, and creation location information.

The file storage information includes information indicating whether ornot this electronic data main body stored in the body part is encrypted,and further includes information related to a cryptographic algorithm, acryptographic key, and cryptographic module when the electronic datamain body is encrypted.

The information management server information verifies a MAC address andan IP address, URI, and an authentication data part of the informationmanagement server. Information for verifying the authentication datapart may store cryptographic key information or a cryptographic keycertificate related to this key.

The access control policy part stores access control policy informationrelated to use constraint which discloses processing of this electronicfile to be permitted or forbidden according to the use condition of thiselectronic file. Here, the use condition includes, for example,available deadline, available location information or networkenvironment, a user or available equipment information and the number ofuses.

The body part stores the electronic data itself or encrypted dataobtained by encrypting this electronic data.

The authentication data part stores authentication data informationincluding the header part, access control policy part, and body partencrypted by the information management server apparatus. Asauthentication data information, digital signature using public keycryptosystem such as DSA (Digital Signature Algorithm), RSA(Rivest-Shamir-Adleman Scheme), and ECDSA (Elliptic Curve DSA) or MAC(Message Authentication Code) using a hash function or symmetric keycryptosystem can be used.

The context in which the information life cycle management system ofthis description is used, as well as terms related thereto, have beendescribed above. As described above, such an information life cyclemanagement system can desirably manage an information life cycle of achild management file even when a client which requests replication of amanagement file needs to pass the child management file to anotherclient. Hereinafter, each embodiment of this information life cyclemanagement system will be sequentially described.

First Embodiment

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of aninformation life cycle management system according to a first embodimentof the present invention, and illustrates one information managementserver apparatus 101 and any information media controlling apparatus 201of the configuration illustrated in FIG. 1. Incidentally, althoughfunctions unique to apparatuses such as the above described mobiletelephone and PC are respectively different between the informationmedia controlling apparatuses 201 ₁ to 201 _(m) illustrated in FIG. 1,the function related to the information life cycle management systememploys the same configuration, and therefore an arbitrary informationmedia controlling apparatus 201 will be illustrated as a typicalexample.

Here, the information management server apparatus 101 has a managementrequest receiver 111, an information management controller 112, acontext authentication unit 113, an information management DB controller114, a management file generator 115, and an information management DB121.

Incidentally, each unit may be integrally configured where necessarywhen received information is output as is. For example, the managementrequest receiver 111 and information management controller 112 may beintegrally formed when received information is output as is. Further,that each unit may be integrally formed where necessary when receivedinformation is output applies to the other apparatuses and the followingembodiments in the same manner.

Here, the management request receiver 111, information managementcontroller 112, context authentication unit 113, information managementDB controller 114, and management file generator 115 are functionalblocks realized when a CPU (not illustrated) executes the programincluding each step of the information management server apparatus 101described below.

The information management DB 121 can be realized as a storage devicewhich the CPU (not illustrated) can read and write from and to, and, asillustrated in FIG. 4, stores a management ID table 1211, a systemmanagement table 1212, a post office box management table 1213, anaccess log management table 1214, a master policy table 1215, a clientmanagement table 1216, and a data original copy management table 1217.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the management ID table 1211 associates andstores issued management IDs, issue dates, and issue request sourceinformation, and further associates and stores expiration dates andexpiration request source information in case of expiration.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the system management table 1212 associatesand stores management IDs associated with a parent-child relationship ofan electronic data main body, creation date information of theelectronic data main body, user information, media type, access controlpolicy, location information, and entity IDs. When electronic data isreplicated data, the system management table 1212 associates and storesmanagement IDs additionally issued for replication, creation dateinformation in a header part of a replicated (child) management file,user information, media type, access control policy, locationinformation, and entity IDs, for an electronic data main body ormanagement ID of a management file of the replication source (parent).Here, the system of issue numbers of management IDs may adopt serialnumbers as long as oneness in this system is secured and replicationparent-child relationships are connected with management IDs andmanaged. Further, the configuration of the management ID may be issuedwith a meaning such that the parent-child relationship of eachmanagement ID is clear. In this case, for example, a value of a specificdigit may have a parent-child relationship value. With an example ofFIG. 6, the lower fourth digit (thousands digit) indicates theparent-child relationship value, and “0” indicates the uppermost parent,“1” indicates a child of this parent, and “2” indicates a child of thischild (=grandchild of the parent). Incidentally, the lower third digit(hundreds digit) indicates a media type, and “1” indicates electronicdata, “2” indicates paper media, and “3” indicates recording media. Thelower first and second digits (ones digit and tens digit) areidentification numbers for the same generation and the same media type.The lower fifth to eighth digits (# and three digit values right to #)indicate electronic data IDs, and may include the same electronic datairrespective of the parent-child relationship as long as the managementfile has the same electronic data ID. Further, equipment X, Y and Z, andemployee B in location information are associated with any ofinformation media controlling apparatuses 201 x, 201 y, 201 z and 201B,and therefore may be read as information media controlling apparatuses201 x, 201 y, 201 z and 201B. In addition, a management file is notcreated from the uppermost parent for which the parent-childrelationship value indicates “0”. Management files are created fromparents for which the parent-child relationship indicates “1” or more.Further, the entity ID identifies an electronic data main body (dataoriginal copy) and has a management ID different from the abovemanagement ID when electronic data is replicated, and the entity ID ofthe replication source (parent) and the entity ID of replication (child)are the same.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the post office box management table 1213associates and stores per post office box ID the number of postings (thenumber of acquisition) which means the number of child management filesto acquire, and a management ID list listing management IDs of the childmanagement files to acquire. Although a case will be described as anexample where the post office box ID is assigned per information mediacontrolling apparatus 201, the post office box ID is not limited tothis, and any information media controlling apparatus 201 may beconfigured to specify any post office box ID.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, the access log management table 1214 includesa client ID, operation type, management ID, and processing status peroperation date. The client ID indicates an employee ID of the employeewho performed the operation, and may be read as “operator ID” or“employee ID”. The operation type indicates types of operations such aslogin status, new registration, electronic data replication, viewing,and deletion. The management ID indicates operated electronic data. Theprocessing status is status information indicating a processing resultsuch as success or failure (authorization error) of processing indicatedby the operation type. In addition, management of contents in the accesslog table 1214 may include use of location information (inside/outside,and GPS information) of the equipment which utilizes a target managementfile, and is not limited to the information illustrated in FIG. 8.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, the master policy table 1215 associates andstores a policy type and rejection/permission policy per policy number.The policy number is policy identification information, and may be readas “policy ID”. The policy type is information showing the type of atarget to be controlled according to the rejection/permission policy,and may be, for example, location control, time control and permissioncontrol where necessary. The rejection/permission policy is informationindicating a decision condition and control contents when the decisioncondition is satisfied. Control contents include a target (command orrequest) to permit or reject, and can include processing such as insidewired connection or inside wireless connection.

As illustrated in FIG. 10, the client management table 1216 associatesand stores client IDs, employee numbers, authority classes, terminaltypes and MAC addresses.

As illustrated in FIG. 11, the data original copy management table 1217associates and stores entity IDs, file names, sizes, hash values,electronic data main bodies and external storage information. Here, theentity ID is identification information for an electronic data main body(data original copy). The file name is a file name of the managementtarget data main body (electronic data main body) to be stored in themanagement file. The size is a file size of a management target datamain body to be stored in the management file. The hash value is a hashvalue of a management target data main body to be stored in themanagement file. The electronic data main body is a management targetdata main body to be stored in the management file. When the managementtarget data main body is stored outside the information management DB121, the external storage information is storage destination informationof this management target data main body. With the present embodiment,external storage information is not used.

By contrast with this, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the information mediacontrolling apparatus 201 has an upper system 211, a request receiver212, an information media manager 213, a context information acquirer214, a management request transmitter 215, a management file controller216, and a management client DB 217. In addition, each unit may beintegrated where necessary. For example, when received information isoutput as is, the request receiver 212, information media manager 213,management request transmitter 214, and management file controller 216may be integrated.

Here, the upper system 211, request receiver 212, information mediamanager 213, context information acquirer 214, management requesttransmitter 215, and management file controller 216 are functionalblocks realized when, for example, a CPU (not illustrated) executes theprogram including each step of the information media controllingapparatus 201 described below.

The management client DB 217 can be realized as a storage device whichthe CPU (not illustrated) can read and write from and to and which themanagement file controller 216 can access, and, as illustrated in FIG.12, stores a management file management table 2171 and an access logtable 2172.

The management file management table 2171 includes, per management ID,status information (for example, during viewing,—(obsolete), available),management file attribute information (creation date information andobsolete date information in case of obsolete), and management fileentity. As management file attribute information, partial information ofa management file header part is used. As partial information of themanagement file header part, a management ID associated with anelectronic data main body of the uppermost parent which is thereplication source of the management file or a management ID indicatingthe management file of the replication source can be used in addition tothe above creation/obsolete data information. “The management file ofthe replication source” means “the parent management file which is thesource of a child management file to be replicated”. Meanwhile, thedescription range of the management file attribute information is notlimited to partial information of a management file header part, and canadopt various modes based on the environment setting of the equipmentand the prescription of the information management server apparatus.Further, management file attribute information may include dynamic useinformation which is not described in the management file header part,such as the number of accesses from the equipment to each managementfile. The management file entity may be stored in an external storagedevice (not illustrated).

The access log table 2172 includes an operation type, user information,management ID and management file name per operation date. The operationtype indicates types of operations such as login status, newregistration, replication registration, post office box check,replication acquisition, viewing, and deletion. The management IDindicates operated electronic data. The management file name is, forexample, information connecting an extension indicating a file format ofelectronic data, to a management ID of the electronic data. In addition,contents managed in the access log table 2171 may be locationinformation (inside/outside, and GPS information) of the equipment whichutilizes a target management file, and is not limited to the informationillustrated in FIG. 12.

Next, an operation of an information life cycle management systememploying the above configuration will be described using the schematicdiagrams of FIGS. 13 to 33. Incidentally, the operation will bedescribed sequentially in order of new registration of electronic data(FIGS. 13 to 17), replication registration of electronic data (FIGS. 18to 26) and replication acquisition of electronic data (FIGS. 27 to 33).

(New Registration of Electronic Data: FIGS. 13 to 17)

When a management file entity including unregistered electronic data isnewly registered in the information media controlling apparatus 201, theinformation media controlling apparatus 201 and information managementserver apparatus 101 execute the following processing. First, thegeneralized operation not including various authorizing operations willbe described.

(Generalized Operation of New Registration)

The information media controlling apparatus 201 transmits newregistration request information including an electronic data main bodyof a management target, to the information management server apparatus101.

The information management server apparatus 101 issues a management IDand entity ID for the electronic data main body, based on newregistration request information, registers the management ID and entityID in the system management table 1212, and registers the entity ID andelectronic data main body in the data original copy management table1217.

Next, such a new registration operation including various authorizingoperations will be described in detail.

(Detailed Operation of New Registration)

As illustrated in FIG. 13, the upper system 211 outputs unregisteredelectronic data and a new registration request to the request receiver212, according to the operation of the operator (electronic datacreator) (ST1). The new registration request includes an access controlpolicy related to use limitation of the electronic data, and creatorinformation indicating the electronic data creator. Creator informationis user information including, for example, a client ID and an employeenumber.

The request receiver 212 outputs this electronic data and newregistration request to the information media manager 213 according to,for example, the receiving order (ST2).

When receiving electronic data and a new registration request, theinformation media manager 213 outputs a context acquisition request foracquiring context information required for the requested processing, tothe context information acquirer 214 (ST3).

The context information acquirer 214 acquires context informationrelated to the information media controlling apparatus 201 from anoperating system or related hardware of the information mediacontrolling apparatus 201 according to the context informationacquisition request, and outputs this context information to theinformation media manager 213 (ST4). Here, as context information, forexample, equipment information such as a MAC address or IP addressrelated to the information media controlling apparatus 201, informationrelated to a connection network such as domain information orconnectable equipment information or physical position information ofthe equipment such as a GPS can be adequately used.

When receiving context information, the information media manager 213outputs context authentication request information including creatorinformation and context information in the new registration request, tothe management request transmitter 215 (ST5).

The management request transmitter 215 transmits context authenticationrequest information to the information management server apparatus 101(ST6).

In the information management server apparatus 101, as illustrated inFIG. 14, the management request receiver 111 outputs this contextauthentication request information to the information managementcontroller 112 according to, for example, the receiving order (ST7).

The information management controller 112 outputs context authenticationrequest information to the context authentication unit 113, and requestsauthorization of this context information (ST8).

When acquiring context authentication request information, the contextauthentication unit 113 acquires an authority class associated withcreator information (employee number) indicating a request source userand an authority class depending on connection mode, referring to theclient management table 1216 in the information management DB 121. Whensecurity authorization information such as a digital signature or MAC isassigned in context authentication request information, the validity ofthis security authorization information is verified. When creatorinformation or the connection environment in context information is notclear or when the verifying result of security authorization informationindicates “unauthorized”, decision result information indicating “error”is output to the information management controller 112. Further, whencreator information and connection environment in context information isclear or when the verifying result of security authorization informationindicates “authorized”, the context authentication unit 113 outputs thecontext decision result related to the identity or authority of theclient, to the information management controller 112 (ST9). Here, theidentity of the client is the above creator information and theauthority of the client is the authority class acquired from the clientmanagement table 1216.

The information management controller 112 outputs the context decisionresult to the management request receiver 111 (ST10).

The management request receiver 111 transmits the context decisionresult to the information media controlling apparatus 201 (ST11).

As illustrated in FIG. 15, the management request transmitter 215outputs the received context decision result to the information mediamanager 213 (ST12).

When the context decision result indicates “error”, the informationmedia manager 213 reports “error” to the upper system 211 through therequest input/output 212. When the context decision result does notindicate “error”, new registration request information of electronicdata which is a registration target is output to the management requesttransmitter 215 (ST13). Here, new registration request informationincludes an access control policy related to electronic data which is aregistration target and use limitation of the electronic data.

The management request transmitter 215 transmits new registrationrequest information to the information management server apparatus 101(ST14).

As illustrated in FIG. 16, the management request receiver 111 outputsnew registration request information to the information managementcontroller 112 (ST15).

The information management controller 112 outputs new registrationprocessing request information including this new registration requestinformation and context decision result, to the information managementDB controller 114, and requests new registration processing ofelectronic data (ST16).

When receiving new registration processing request information, theinformation management DB controller 114 cross-checks new registrationprocessing request information and the master policy table 1215 of theinformation management DB 121, and, as a result of the cross-checking,executes double registration confirmation of whether or not targetelectronic data is already registered as long as the cross-check resultis permitted or not rejected according to the permission/rejectionpolicy in the master policy table 1215.

According to the cross-check processing, the context decision result innew registration processing request information and the master policytable 1215 of the information management DB 121 are cross-checked, andprocessing proceeds to double registration confirmation only when, as aresult of cross-checking, information related to the identity orauthority of the client in the context decision result is permitted ornot rejected according to the permission/rejection policy of the masterpolicy table 1215 and other information such as the request receivingtime or IP address of the information media controlling apparatus 201 isalso permitted or not rejected according to the permission/rejectionpolicy.

According to double registration confirmation processing, a hash valueof electronic data newly registered in the past is registered in advancein the system management table 1212 of the information management DB121, and the hash value of electronic data which is a current newregistration target is calculated to confirm whether or not the hashvalue does not exist in the system management table 1212.

When electronic data of the current new registration target is notalready registered, the information management DB controller 114 issuesthe management ID and entity ID for the data, and registers managementID issue information including the management ID, issue date and issuerequest source information, in the management ID table 1211 in theinformation management DB 121.

Further, the information management DB controller 114 associates andregisters the issued entity ID, file name of the electronic data mainbody, size of the electronic data main body (file size), hash value ofthe electronic data main body and the electronic main data main body, inthe data original copy management table 1217.

Further, the information management DB controller 114 registers accesslog information including the date, client ID, operation type,management ID and processing status, in the access log management table1214 in the information management DB 121.

After registration, the information management DB controller 114 outputsnew registration processing result information including the managementID, to information management controller 112 (ST17). The newregistration processing result information includes information to beregistered in the tables 2171 and 2172 in the management client DB 217,more specifically, includes the management ID, date, and operation type.

The information management controller 112 outputs new registrationprocessing result information to the management request receiver 111(ST18).

The management request receiver 111 transmits new registrationprocessing result information to the information media controllingapparatus 201 (ST19).

As illustrated in FIG. 17, the management request transmitter 215outputs new registration processing result information to theinformation media manager 213 (ST20).

The information media manager 213 outputs new registration processingresult information to the management file controller 216, and requestsregistration of the processing result in the management client DB 217(ST21).

To reflect the status in which the management ID is used as a main keyin the management client DB 217 based on new registration processingresult information, the management file controller 216 registers themanagement ID and the status in the management file management table2171.

Next, to reflect an operation log in the management client DB 217, themanagement file controller 216 registers a new registration operationlog including operation date information, the operation type, andmanagement ID, in the access log table 2172 of the management client DB217.

After registration is completed, the management file controller 216outputs a registration processing completion report to the informationmedia manager 213 (ST22).

When receiving the registration processing completion report, theinformation media manager 213 requests the management requesttransmitter 215 to cut communication with the information managementserver apparatus 101 (ST23).

The management request transmitter 215 cuts communication with theinformation management server apparatus 101, and outputs a completionreport to the information media manager 213 (ST24).

The information media manager 213 outputs a new registration processingcompletion report of newly registered electronic data to the requestinput/output 212. The new registration processing completion report mayinclude the management ID issued for this electronic data (ST25).

The request input/output 212 outputs the new registration processingcompletion report to the upper system 211, and finishes processing(ST26).

(Replication Registration of Electronic Data: FIGS. 18 to 26)

First, the generalized operation, excluding various authorizingoperations, will be given.

(Generalized Operation of Replication Registration)

The information media controlling apparatus 201 transmits replicationregistration request information, which includes a management IDassociated with electronic data of a replication registration target anda post office box ID associated with the information media controllingapparatus 201 of the replication acquisition destination, to theinformation management server apparatus 101.

When receiving replication registration request information, theinformation management server apparatus 101 issues a child management IDdifferent from a management ID in this replication registration requestinformation, associates the child management ID with the same managementID as the management ID in replication registration request informationamong management IDs in the system management table 1212, registers thisissued child management ID in this system management table 1212,associates this child management ID with a post office box ID in areplication registration request to register them in the post office boxmanagement table 1216, and transmits replication registration processingresult information including the child management ID, to the informationmedia controlling apparatus 201 which is the transmission source ofreplication registration request information.

Next, the operation of this replication registration including variousauthorization operations will be described in detail.

(Detailed Operation of Replication Registration)

When a certain information media controlling apparatus 201 i requests tothe information server apparatus 101 such that the information mediacontrolling apparatus 201 j can acquire replicated electronic data ofelectronic data registered in this system, the information mediacontrolling apparatus 201 i and information management server apparatus101 execute the following processing.

As illustrated in FIG. 18, the upper system 211 outputs an accesscontrol policy acquisition request for acquiring an access controlpolicy of the electronic data main body associated with the managementID which needs to be replicated, to the request input/output 212according to the operation by the operator (ST31). The access controlpolicy acquisition request includes user information related to a userwhich makes an acquisition request, and a management ID associated withthe electronic data main body which is the request target. The accesscontrol policy acquisition request may include location information ofthe information media controlling apparatus 201, IP address, MACaddress, and use environment information of a connection network. Thismanagement ID is referred to as “parent management ID”.

As illustrated in FIGS. 18 to 20, the information media controllingapparatus 201 and information management server apparatus 101 executethe same processing as in S2 to ST12 in new registration processing ofelectronic data, and authorizes context information (ST32 to ST42).

When the context decision result indicates “error”, the informationmedia manager 213 reports “error” to the upper system 211 through therequest input/output 212. When the context decision result does notindicate “error”, access control policy acquisition request informationis output to the management request transmitter 215 (ST43). Here, accesscontrol policy acquisition request information includes userinformation, parent management ID, location information, and useenvironment information.

The management request transmitter 215 transmits access control policyacquisition request information including a parent management ID, to theinformation management server apparatus 101 (ST44).

As illustrated in FIG. 21, the management request receiver 111 outputsthe access control policy acquisition request information to theinformation management controller 112 (ST45).

The information management controller 112 outputs access control policyacquisition request information to the information management DBcontroller 114, and requests for an access control policy related to theparent management ID (ST46).

When receiving access control policy acquisition request information,the information management DB controller 114 cross-checks the accesscontrol policy acquisition request information and the master policytable 1215 of the information management DB 121, and decides that theaccess control policy can be transmitted when the cross-check result ispermitted or not rejected according to the permission/rejection policyin the master policy table 1215.

According to this cross-check processing, it is decided that the accesscontrol policy can be transmitted only when user information or userenvironment information included in access control policy acquisitionrequest information is permitted or not rejected according to thepermission/rejection policy of the master policy table 1215, and otherinformation such as the request receiving time is also permitted or notrejected according to the permission/rejection policy.

When it is decided that the access control policy can be transmitted,the information management DB controller 114 reads the access controlpolicy for the parent management ID in access control policy acquisitionrequest information, from the system management table 1212 in theinformation management DB 121, and outputs the access control policy andmaster policy decision result to the information management controller112 (ST47).

The information management controller 112 outputs the access controlpolicy and master policy decision result to the management requestreceiver 111 (ST48).

The management request receiver 111 transmits the access control policyand master policy decision result to the information media controllingapparatus 201 (ST49).

As illustrated in FIG. 22, when receiving the access control policy andmaster policy decision result, the management request transmitter 215transmits a session cut request to the information management serverapparatus 101, and cuts communication with the information managementserver apparatus 101. The management request transmitter 215 outputs theaccess control policy and master policy decision result to theinformation media manager 213 (ST50). The order of cut processing andinformation output processing to the information media manager 213 maybe random.

The information media manager 213 cross-checks an access control policyassociated with the parent management ID, user information and useenvironment information, and decides whether or not there is anauthority to execute this replication registration processing. Whenthere is an execution authority, the information media manager 213outputs to the request input/output 212 an access control policy settingrequest for the child management file electrically replicated andderived from the electronic data main body indicated by the entity IDassociated with the parent management ID (ST51).

The request input/output 212 outputs the access control policy settingrequest to the upper system 211 (ST52).

When receiving the access control policy setting request, the uppersystem 211 sets the access control policy for the child management fileaccording to the user's operation. The access control policy for thechild management file defines a system policy for setting limitation ofthe access control policy associated with the parent management ID. Whena plurality of child management files are replicated at the same timefrom the electronic data main body indicated by the entity ID associatedwith the parent management ID, the access control policy for each childmanagement file may all be shared, or may be set differently accordingto the acquisition destination of the child management files wherenecessary. The access control policy may not be set by the user, and maybe set according to an appropriate setting program according to thesituation or environment. When the access control policy is set, theupper system 211 outputs to the request input/output 212 replicationregistration request information including the parent management ID,acquisition destination information of the child management file, postoffice box ID, access control policy associated with the parentmanagement ID, and access control policy of the child management file(ST53).

The request input/output 212 outputs replication registration requestinformation to the information media manager 213 (ST54).

The information media manager 213 decides whether or not the accesscontrol policy of the child management file is within limitation of theaccess control policy associated with the parent management ID. Whenlimitation is violated, the access control policy of the childmanagement file is corrected again, or processing is finished byoutputting “error”. When limitation is not violated, as illustrated inFIGS. 22 to 24, context authentication processing is executed in thesame manner as in ST33 to ST42, and a communication session isestablished after authorization processing with the informationmanagement server apparatus 101 (ST55 to ST64).

After that, the information media manager 213 outputs replicationregistration request information to the management request transmitter215 (ST65). Incidentally, the access control policy of the parentmanagement file included in the replication registration requestinformation is contained in the information management server 101, andtherefore may not be output.

The management request transmitter 215 transmits replicationregistration request information to the information management server101 (ST66).

As illustrated in FIG. 25, the management request receiver 111 outputsreplication registration request information to the informationmanagement controller 112 (ST67).

The information management controller 112 outputs the replicationregistration processing request including replication registrationrequest information, to the information management DB controller 114(ST68), and requests issuance of a child management ID based onreplication registration request information and registration ofmanagement ID issue information, system information, post office boxinformation, and access log information, in the information managementDB 121.

When receiving the replication registration processing request, theinformation management DB controller 114 refers to the master policytable 1215 in the information management DB 121, and decides whether ornot the requested replication registration processing can be executed.When the master policy is not violated, whether or not processing can beexecuted is decided based on items of whether or not the informationmedia controlling apparatus 201 or the user which requests processing tothe information media controlling apparatus 201 has an authority toperform replication registration under the situation or environment uponrequest, and whether or not the access control policy of the childmanagement file is within limitation of the access control policyassociated with the parent management ID. This decision may includedecision items such as whether or not the child management file of theissuance target is within the generation range which allows derivationwhen the origin of the target management ID is taken into account orwhether the child management file does not exceed the upper limit of thenumber of derivations.

As a result of the decision, only when processing can be executed, theinformation management DB controller 114 issues a child management ID,and registers management ID issue information including the childmanagement ID, issue data and issue request source information in themanagement ID table 1211 in the information management DB 121.

Further, the information management DB controller 114 associates thechild management ID with parent management ID to register them in thesystem management table 1212, and associates acquisition destinationinformation of the child management file with child management ID aslocation information to register them in the system management table1212.

Further, the information management DB controller 114 associates thechild management ID with the post office box ID in the replicationregistration request information to register the child management ID inthe post office box management table 1213, and writes the number of theregistered child management IDs for each specified post office box, inthe post office box management table 1213.

Further, the information management DB controller 114 registers accesslog information including the date, client ID, operation type,management ID and processing status, in the access log management table1214 in the information management DB 121.

Incidentally, when a plurality of child management IDs are issued, theinformation management DB controller 114 also executes the sameprocessing for each of the child management IDs. The informationmanagement DB controller 114 outputs replication registration processingresult information including the issued child management IDs, to theinformation management controller 112 (ST69). The replicationregistration processing result information includes information to beregistered in the access log table 2172 in the management client DB 217,more specifically, includes the child management ID, date and operationtype, and does not include the management file name.

The information management controller 112 outputs replicationregistration processing result information to the management requestreceiver 111 (ST70).

The management request receiver 111 transmits replication registrationprocessing result information to the information media controllingapparatus 201 as a response to the replication registration request(ST71). When processing fails, error information is transmitted.

As illustrated in FIG. 26, the management request transmitter 215outputs the received replication registration processing resultinformation to the information media manager 213 (ST72). At the sametime, the management request transmitter 215 transmits a communicationsession cut request to the information management server apparatus 101,and cuts communication.

The information media manager 213 outputs replication registrationprocessing result information to the management file controller 216, andrequests registration of the processing result in the management clientDB 217 (ST73).

The management file controller 216 registers an operation log ofreplication registration including operation date information, anoperation type and child management ID, in the access log table 2172 ofthe management client DB 217 based on replication registrationprocessing result information.

After registration is completed, the management file controller 216outputs a replication registration processing completion report to theinformation media manager 213 (ST74).

The information media manager 213 receives the replication registrationprocessing completion report, and outputs the replication registrationcompletion report to the request input/output 212 (ST75).

The request input/output 212 outputs the replication registrationcompletion report to the upper system 211, and finishes a series ofreplication registration request sessions (ST76).

When receiving the replication registration completion report, the uppersystem 211 may report to the information media controlling apparatus 201of the acquisition destination that there is replication registration ofelectronic data, by transmitting this replication registrationcompletion report to the information media controlling apparatus 201 ofthe acquisition destination according to, for example, the operation ofthe operator. In this case, the upper system 211 of the informationmedia controlling apparatus 201 of the acquisition destination caneasily confirm whether or not there is replication registration for theinformation media controlling apparatus 201 on the occasion of theoperations of the operator or confirmation setting in a time cycle.However, not being limited thereto, for example, the operator of theinformation media controlling apparatus 201 which performs replicationregistration may report that there is replication registration to theoperator of the information media controlling apparatus 201 of theacquisition destination by means of any contacting method, such as oralcommunication, telephone, FAX or electronic mail.

(Replication Acquisition of Electronic Data: FIGS. 27 to 33)

First, the generalized operation will be given, excluding variousauthorizing operations.

(Generalized Operation of Replication Acquisition)

The information media controlling apparatus 201 transmits a post officebox check request including a post office box ID, to the informationmanagement server apparatus 101.

When receiving the post office box check request, the informationmanagement server apparatus 101 reads a child management ID associatedwith a post office box ID in the post office box check request, from thepost office box management table 1216, and transmits post office boxconfirmation information including the child management ID, to theinformation media controlling apparatus 201 which is the transmissionsource of the post office box check request.

The information media controlling apparatus 201 transmits to theinformation management server apparatus 101 a replication acquisitionrequest including the child management ID associated with a managementfile of a replication acquisition target among the child management IDsin this post office box confirmation information.

When receiving a replication acquisition request, the informationmanagement server apparatus 101 reads an entity ID associated with thechild management ID in this replication acquisition request, from thesystem management table 1212, reads an electronic data main bodyassociated with this entity ID from the data original copy managementtable 1217, generates a child management file including the childmanagement ID and electronic data main body, deletes this childmanagement ID from the post office box management table 1216 andtransmits the child management file to the information media controllingapparatus 201 which is the transmission source of the replicationacquisition request.

The information media controlling apparatus 201 writes this childmanagement file in the management file management table 2171.

Next, this replication acquisition operation, including variousauthorizing operations, will be described in detail.

(Detailed Operation of Replication Acquisition)

In this system, when the information media controlling apparatus 201acquires replicated electronic data for the information mediacontrolling apparatus 201, from the information management serverapparatus 101, the information media controlling apparatus 201 andinformation management server apparatus 101 execute the followingprocessing. In addition, the information media controlling apparatus 201which executes replication acquisition processing is assumed to be adifferent apparatus from the information media controlling apparatus 201which executes the above replication registration processing.

As illustrated in FIG. 27, the upper system 211 confirms whether or notthere is replication registration for the information media controllingapparatus 201, on the occasion of the operation of the operator orconfirmation setting in the time cycle, and outputs to the requestinput/output 212 an acquisition request (hereinafter, “replicationacquisition request) of replicated and registered electronic data ifthere is replication registration (ST81). The replication acquisitionrequest includes user information of the user which makes an acquisitionrequest. This replication acquisition request may include locationinformation or use environment information of the information mediacontrolling apparatus 201, or may include a post office box IDassociated with the information media controlling apparatus 201.

The request input/output 212 outputs the replication acquisition requestto the information media manager 213 (ST82).

As illustrated in FIGS. 27 to 29, the information media controllingapparatus 201 and information management server apparatus 101 executethe same processing as in ST3 to ST12 of new registration of electronicdata, and authorizes context information (ST83 to ST92).

When the context decision result indicates “error”, the informationmedia manager 213 reports “error” to the upper system 211 through therequest input/output 212. When the context decision result does notindicate “error”, the post office box check request including the postoffice box ID of the post office box in which replication acquisitioninformation of electronic data needs to be confirmed is output to themanagement request transmitter 215 (ST93). Post office box checkprocessing may be realized by a system configuration of receiving arequest only for a post office box assigned only to the informationmedia controlling apparatus 201. A system configuration may also berealized which receives a post office box check according to a specifiedpost office box ID for any post office box.

The management request transmitter 215 transmits a post office box checkrequest to the information management server apparatus 101 (ST94).

As illustrated in FIG. 30, the management request receiver 111 outputs apost office box check request to the information management controller112 (ST95).

The information management controller 112 outputs a post office boxcheck request to the information management DB controller 114, andrequests processing of confirming the post office box state for thespecified post office box ID (ST96).

The information management DB controller 114 extracts a post office boxID from the post office box check request, and acquires post office boxconfirmation information including the post office box ID, the number ofpostings and management ID list, from the post office box managementtable 1216 of the information management DB 121. The number of postingsis the number of replicated and registered management IDs, and is thenumber of management files which can be replicated and acquired. Theinformation management DB controller 114 outputs the acquired postoffice box confirmation information to the information managementcontroller 112 (ST97).

The information management controller 112 outputs post office boxconfirmation information to the management request receiver 111 (ST98).

The management request receiver 111 transmits post office boxconfirmation information to the information media controlling apparatus201 (ST99).

As illustrated in FIG. 31, the management request transmitter 215outputs post office box confirmation information to the informationmedia manager 213 (ST100).

The information media manager 213 confirms whether or not there is amanagement file which can be replicated and acquired, based on thenumber of postings or management ID list in the post office boxconfirmation information. When there is no management file which can beacquired, this replication acquisition processing is finished. At thistime, the information media manager 213 may request the management filecontroller 216 to write access log information in the management clientDB 217. Further, the information media manager 213 may report to theupper system 211 through the request input/output 212 that there is nomanagement file. When there is a management file which can be acquired,a management ID of a management file to acquire is selected from themanagement ID list in post office box confirmation information, and areplication acquisition request including this management ID is outputto the management request transmitter 215 (ST101).

The management request transmitter 215 transmits replication acquisitionrequest information to the information management server 101 (ST102).

As illustrated in FIG. 32, the management request receiver 111 outputsreplication acquisition request information to the informationmanagement controller 112 (ST103).

The information management controller 112 outputs replicationacquisition processing request information including replicationacquisition request information and the context decision result, andrequests that the information management DB controller 114 performsreplication acquisition processing including generation of managementfiles and registration of the parent-child relationship in theinformation management DB 121 (ST104).

When receiving replication acquisition processing request information,the information management DB controller 114 cross-checks replicationacquisition processing request information and the master policy table1215 of the information management DB 121, and proceeds to processing ofa management file generation request of a replication acquisition targetas long as the cross-check result is permitted or not rejected accordingto the permission/rejection policy in the master policy table 1215.Incidentally, cross-check processing is executed as described above.

When processing proceeds to processing of a management file generationrequest, the information management DB controller 114 acquiresinformation required to generate a management file from the informationmanagement DB 121, and outputs a management file generation requestincluding this information, to the management file generator 115(ST105). Here, information required to generate a management fileincludes a management ID which is a replication acquisition target, anelectronic data main body of a management target associated with themanagement ID, and an access control policy associated with themanagement ID. The management ID and access control policy are acquiredfrom, for example, the system management table 1212 in the informationmanagement DB 121. Further, electronic data main body is acquired fromthe data original copy management table 1217 in the informationmanagement DB 121.

Next, when receiving the management file generation request includingthe management ID of a replication acquisition target, electronic datamain body and access control policy, the management file generator 115generates a management file based on this management file generationrequest. The management file generation procedure is, for example, asfollows.

The management file generator 115 sets a management ID in a managementID area of electronic data of the header part. NULL is set to themanagement ID of the parent information media of the header part. Infile information of the header part, the file format, file size, creatorinformation, creation date information and creation location informationare set.

The management file generator 115 sets file storage information of theheader part based on whether or not encryption processing is performedand the specification of encryption processing such as the cryptographicalgorithm, cryptographic key, and cryptographic module. Here, encryptionprocessing can be specified in various modes. For example, where theupper system 211 specifies encryption processing according toreplication acquisition request information, the information mediamanager 213 specifies encryption processing according to replicationacquisition management request information, or the informationmanagement DB controller 114 specifies encryption processing accordingto the management file generation request.

Further, the management file generator 115 sets file storageinformation, an access control policy, and information management serverinformation, in the header part. Accordingly, the header part isgenerated.

Then, the management file generator 115 applies encryption processing toelectronic data based on file storage information of the header part,and sets this acquired encrypted electronic data in the body part.Accordingly, the body part is generated.

The management file generator 115 generates, for this generated headerpart and body part, authentication data according to the digitalsignature scheme based on public key cryptosystem or the MAC schemebased on a hush function or symmetric key cryptosystem. Thisauthentication data is set in the authentication data part of themanagement file. Accordingly, the management file is created.

The management file generator 115 outputs the created management file tothe information management DB controller 114.

When receiving a management file, the information management DBcontroller 114 associates the management file with the management ID ofelectronic data based on the management file, management ID andreplication acquisition processing request information, and registerssystem information including creation date information, creatorinformation, media type, access control policy, location information andentity ID, in the system management table 1212 in the informationmanagement DB 121. Here, the management ID of electronic data isassociated with the management ID of the parent information media whenthe management ID of the parent information media is present, andregistered in the system management table 1212.

Further, when there are a plurality of target management IDs, managementfile generation processing is performed a number of times correspondingto the number of management IDs. The configuration example of themanagement file is as illustrated in FIG. 2. The management filegenerator 115 outputs the generated management file to the informationmanagement DB controller 114 (ST106).

When receiving the management file, the information management DBcontroller 114 executes processing of registering access log informationrelated to management file generation processing in the access logmanagement table 1214 of the information management DB 121, and executesprocessing of clearing the number of postings and management ID listassociated with the post office box ID of the post office box managementtable 1213. After that, the information management DB controller 114outputs to the information management controller 112 replicationacquisition processing result information including the issuedmanagement ID, management file, date and operation type (ST107).

The information management controller 112 outputs replicationacquisition processing result information to the management requestreceiver 111 (ST108).

The management request receiver 111 transmits replication acquisitionprocessing result information to the information media controllingapparatus 201 (ST109). When processing fails, error information istransmitted.

As illustrated in FIG. 33, the management request transmitter 215outputs the received replication acquisition processing resultinformation to the information media manager 213 (ST110). At the sametime, the management request transmitter 215 transmits a communicationsession cut request to the information management server apparatus 101,and cuts communication.

The information media manager 213 outputs replication acquisitionprocessing result information to the management file controller 216, andrequests that the processing result is registered in the managementclient DB 217 (ST111).

The management file controller 216 registers the management ID, status,management file header partial information and management file entity inthe management file management table 2171, as described above based onreplication acquisition processing result information.

Similarly, the management file controller 216 registers an operation logof replication acquisition processing including operation dateinformation, operation type, management ID and management file name, inthe access log table 2172.

After registration is completed, the management file controller 216outputs a replication acquisition processing completion report to theinformation media manager 213 (ST112). The replication acquisitionprocessing completion report may include the management ID issued forthis electronic data.

The information media manager 213 outputs a replication acquisitionprocessing completion report to the request input/output 212 (ST113).

The request input/output 212 outputs a replication acquisitioncompletion report to the upper system 211, and finishes this requestsession (ST114).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, even when theinformation media controlling apparatus 201 which requests replicationregistration of electronic data and the information media controllingapparatus 201 which acquires a child management file generated byreplication registration are separate apparatuses, the informationmanagement server apparatus 101 registers a child management ID ofelectronic data and a post office box ID of the acquisition destinationof a child management file, in the post office box management table 1216based on replication registration request information received from oneinformation media controlling apparatus 201, and has the otherinformation media controlling apparatus 201 which is the acquisitiondestination acquire the child management file based on the post officebox management table 1216. Consequently, even when a client whichrequests replication of a management file needs to pass a childmanagement file to another client, it is possible to manage aninformation life cycle of the child management file.

Second Embodiment

FIG. 34 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of aninformation life cycle management system according to a secondembodiment of the present invention, and the same units as in FIG. 3will be assigned the same reference numerals and detailed descriptionthereof will be omitted, and different parts will be mainly described.Incidentally, overlapping description will be omitted in the followingembodiment in the same manner.

The present embodiment is a modified example of the first embodiment,and, with the present embodiment, a post office box is regularly andautomatically checked and an information media controlling apparatus 201illustrated in FIG. 3 employs a configuration including a post officebox controller 218.

Here, the post office box check controller 218 has a function ofregularly outputting a post office box check request including a postoffice box ID to a request input/output 212 when a predeterminedcondition is satisfied.

Next, an operation of the information life cycle management systememploying the above configuration will be described.

The post office box check controller 218 outputs the post office boxcheck request for the specified post office box, to the requestinput/output 212 in a time cycle or under a predetermined condition.

The request input/output 212 outputs this post office box check requestto the information media manager 213, acquires a post office boxconfirmation result from the information media manager 213 throughprocessing of ST93 to ST100, and then outputs this post office boxconfirmation result to the post office box check controller 218.

When, in a target post office box, there is a management file which canbe acquired, the post office box check controller 218 outputs to therequest input/output 212 a replication acquisition possibility reportthat there is a management file which can be acquired, based on the postoffice box confirmation result.

The request input/output 212 outputs the replication acquisitionpossibility report to the upper system 211, and triggers replicationacquisition processing.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, in addition tothe effect of the first embodiment, the configuration including the postoffice box check controller 218 which regularly outputs a post officebox check request to the request input/output 212 allows the uppersystem 211 to more quickly acquire a replicated management file.

Third Embodiment

FIG. 35 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of aninformation life cycle management system according to a third embodimentof the present invention.

The present embodiment is a modified example of the first embodiment,and, with the present embodiment, an information management serverapparatus 101 actively requests acquisition of a management fileassociated with the post office box and staying in an information mediacontrolling apparatus 201, based on the number of postings in the postoffice box or the number of staying days and the information managementserver apparatus 101 illustrated in FIG. 3 employs a configurationincluding a post office box confirmation requester 116.

The post office box confirmation requester 218 has a function ofregularly outputting a post office box check request including a postoffice box ID, to a request input/output 212 when a predeterminedcondition is satisfied.

Next, an operation of the information life cycle management systememploying the above configuration will be described.

The post office box confirmation requester 116 outputs a post office boxcheck request for a specified post office box, to a management requestreceiver 111 in a time cycle or under a specified condition. Themanagement request receiver 111 acquires post office box confirmationinformation through processing of ST95 to ST98, and outputs this postoffice box confirmation information to the post office box confirmationrequester 116.

The post office box confirmation requester 116 confirms post office boxstay information such as the number of postings in a post office box andthe number of staying days in the post office box, and, when apredetermined condition is satisfied, transmits a post office boxconfirmation request such that the information media controllingapparatus 201 checks the post office box, to the information mediacontrolling apparatus 201 which is the acquisition destination of thechild management file through the management request receiver 111. Aprescribed condition includes a case where the number of postings in thepost office box exceeds 10 or a case where the number of staying days inthe post office box exceeds 30 days. The prescribed condition is notlimited to this. For example, replication registration processing may beperformed by monitoring the management request receiver 111, and, at thesame time as a child management ID is received, transmitting a postoffice box confirmation request through the management request receiver111 such that the post office box is checked, to the information mediacontrolling apparatus 201 which is the acquisition destination of thechild management file.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, in addition tothe effect of the first embodiment, the configuration including the postoffice box requester 116 which regularly outputs a post office box checkrequest to the management request receiver 111 allows the informationmedia controlling apparatus 201 to more quickly acquire a replicatedmanagement file.

The method described in the embodiment can also be stored in a storagemedium such as a magnetic disk (Floppy™ disk, hard disk, or the like),an optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD, or the like), a magneto-optical disk (MO),or a semiconductor memory as a program which can be executed by acomputer and distributed.

As the storage medium, any configuration which is a computer-readablestorage medium in which a program can be stored may be used regardlessof a storage format.

An OS (operating system) which operates on a computer on the basis of aninstruction of a program installed from the storage medium in thecomputer, database management software, and MW (middleware) such asnetwork software may execute a part of the processes to realize theembodiment.

Furthermore, the storage medium according to the present inventionincludes not only a medium independent of a computer but also a storagemedium in which a program transmitted through a LAN, the Internet, orthe like is downloaded and stored or temporarily stored.

The number of storage media is not limited to one. A case in which theprocess in the embodiment is executed from a plurality of media isincluded in the storage medium according to the present invention. Anymedium configuration may be used.

A computer according to the present invention is to execute theprocesses in the embodiments on the basis of the program stored in astorage medium. The computer may have any configuration such as oneapparatus constituted by a personal computer or a system in which aplurality of apparatuses are connected by a network.

A computer in the present invention includes not only a personalcomputer but also an arithmetic processing apparatus, a microcomputer,or the like included in an information processing apparatus. Thecomputer is a generic name of an apparatus and a device which canrealize the functions of the present invention by a program.

Incidentally, the present invention is not limited to the aboveembodiments as is, and can be embodied within a range where componentsare modified without deviating from the spirit of the present inventionat the implementation stage. For example, the timing to convert theelectronic data in a case where the information medium is electronicdata, into an electronic file management file of a file format includinga management ID in the information management server apparatus 101 maynot come upon new registration and upon replication registration and maycome upon replication acquisition, or a management file may be createdbefore replication acquisition is requested. Furthermore, if a client ofa transmission destination can be predicted in advance at the stagewhere new registration is executed, a management file may be convertedbefore replication registration or replication acquisition.

Further, various embodiments of the invention can be made by adequatelycombining a plurality of components disclosed in the above embodiments.For example, some components may be removed from all componentsdisclosed in the embodiments. Furthermore, components between differentembodiments may be adequately combined.

What is claimed is:
 1. An information life cycle management system whichcomprises: a plurality of information media controlling apparatuses thatcommunicate with each other; and an information management serverapparatus, wherein at least one of the information media controllingapparatus includes a management file management table storing unit whichstores a management file management table in which a child managementfile including a management ID and an electronic data main body iswritten, a unit which transmits new registration request informationincluding an electronic data main body of a management target, to theinformation management server apparatus, which includes a unit which,when receiving the new registration request information, issues amanagement ID and an entity ID for the electronic data main body, basedon the new registration request information, registers the management IDand the entity ID, in association with each other, in a systemmanagement table stored in a system management table storing unit, andregisters the entity ID and the electronic data main body in a dataoriginal copy management table stored in a data original copy managementtable storing unit, a unit which transmits replication registrationrequest information including a management ID associated with electronicdata of a replication registration target and a post office box IDassociated with an information media controlling apparatus of areplication acquisition destination, to the information managementserver apparatus, which includes a unit which, when the receivingreplication registration request information, issues a child managementID different from the management ID in the replication registrationrequest information, associates the child management ID with themanagement ID in the replication registration request information, fromamong management IDs written in the system management table andregisters the issued child management ID in the system management table,associates the child management ID with the post office box ID in thereplication registration request information to register the childmanagement ID and the post office box ID in a post office box managementtable stored in a post office box management table storing unit, andtransmits replication registration processing result informationincluding the child management ID to the information media controllingapparatus, a unit which transmits a post office box check requestincluding the post office box ID to the information management serverapparatus, which includes a unit which, when receiving the post officebox check request, reads the child management ID associated with thepost office box ID in the post office box check request, from the postoffice box management table, and transmits post office box confirmationinformation including at least the child management ID, to theinformation media controlling apparatus, a unit which, when receivingthe post office box confirmation information including the childmanagement ID associated with the post office box ID in the post officebox check request from the information management server apparatus bytransmitting the post office box check request, transmits a replicationacquisition request including a child management ID associated with amanagement file of a replication acquisition target from among childmanagement IDs in the post office box confirmation information, to theinformation management server apparatus, which includes a unit which,when receiving the replication acquisition request, reads an entity IDassociated with the child management ID in the replication acquisitionrequest, from the system management table, reads an electronic data mainbody associated with the entity ID from the data original copymanagement table, generates a child management file including the childmanagement ID and the electronic data main body, deletes the childmanagement ID from the post office box management table, and transmitsthe child management file to the information media controllingapparatus, and a unit which, when receiving the child management fileincluding the child management ID in the replication acquisition requestfrom the information management server apparatus by transmitting thereplication acquisition request, writes the child management file in themanagement file management table.
 2. An information management serverapparatus which communicates individually with a plurality ofinformation media controlling apparatuses, the information managementserver apparatus comprising: a system management table storing unitwhich stores a system management table in which at least one associationbetween a management ID and an entity ID and at least one associationbetween a child management ID and the management ID are written; a dataoriginal copy management table storing unit which stores a data originalcopy management table in which at least one entity ID and at least oneelectronic data main body are written; a post office box managementtable storing unit which stores a post office box management table inwhich at least one association between a post office box ID and a childmanagement ID is written; a unit which, when receiving new registrationrequest information including an electronic data main body of amanagement target, from at least one of the plurality of informationmedia controlling apparatuses, issues a management ID and an entity IDfor the electronic data main body, based on the new registration requestinformation, registers the management ID and the entity ID inassociation with each other in the system management table, andregisters the entity ID and the electronic data main body in the dataoriginal copy management table; a unit which, when receiving replicationregistration request information including a management ID associatedwith electronic data of a replication registration target and a postoffice box ID associated with an information media controlling apparatusof a replication acquisition destination, from at least one of theplurality of information media controlling apparatuses, issues a childmanagement ID different from the management ID in the replicationregistration request information, associates the child management IDwith the management ID in the replication registration requestinformation, from among management IDs in the system management tableand registers the issued child management ID in the system managementtable, associates the child management ID with the post office box ID inthe replication registration request information to register the childmanagement ID and the post office box ID in the post office boxmanagement table, and transmits replication registration processingresult information including the child management ID to the at least oneinformation media controlling apparatus that transmits the replicationregistration request information; a unit which, when receiving a postoffice box check request including the post office box ID from at leastone of the plurality of information media controlling apparatuses, readsthe child management ID associated with the post office box ID in thepost office box check request, from the post office box managementtable, and transmits post office box confirmation information includingat least the child management ID, to the at least one information mediacontrolling apparatus which transmits the post office box check request;and a unit which, when receiving a replication acquisition requestincluding a child management ID associated with a management file of areplication acquisition target from among child management IDs in thepost office box confirmation information, from at least one of theplurality of information media controlling apparatuses, reads an entityID associated with the child management ID in the replicationacquisition request, from the system management table, reads anelectronic data main body associated with the entity ID from the dataoriginal copy management table, generates a child management fileincluding the child management ID and the electronic data main body,deletes the child management ID from the post office box managementtable, and transmits the child management file to the at least oneinformation media controlling apparatus which transmits the replicationacquisition request.
 3. An information media controlling apparatus whichcommunicates with an information management server apparatus, theinformation media controlling apparatus comprising: a management filemanagement table storing unit which stores a management file managementtable in which a child management file including a management ID and anelectronic data main body is written; a unit which transmits newregistration request information including an electronic data main bodyof a management target, to the information management server apparatus,which includes a unit which, when receiving the new registration requestinformation, issues a management ID and an entity ID for the electronicdata main body, based on the new registration request information,registers the management ID and the entity ID, in association with eachother, in a system management table stored in a system management tablestoring unit, and registers the entity ID and the electronic data mainbody in a data original copy management table stored in a data originalcopy management table storing unit; a unit which transmits replicationregistration request information including a management ID associatedwith electronic data of a replication registration target and a postoffice box ID associated with an information media controlling apparatusof a replication acquisition destination, to the information managementserver apparatus, which includes a unit which, when the receivingreplication registration request information, issues a child managementID different from the management ID in the replication registrationrequest information, associates the child management ID with themanagement ID in the replication registration request information, fromamong management IDs written in the system management table andregisters the issued child management ID in the system management table,associates the child management ID with the post office box ID in thereplication registration request information to register the childmanagement ID and the post office box ID in a post office box managementtable stored in a post office box management table storing unit, andtransmits replication registration processing result informationincluding the child management ID to the information media controllingapparatus; a unit which transmits a post office box check requestincluding the post office box ID to the information management serverapparatus, which includes a unit which, when receiving the post officebox check request, reads the child management ID associated with thepost office box ID in the post office box check request, from the postoffice box management table, and transmits post office box confirmationinformation including at least the child management ID, to theinformation media controlling apparatus; a unit which, when receivingthe post office box confirmation information including the childmanagement ID associated with the post office box ID in the post officebox check request from the information management server apparatus bytransmitting the post office box check request, transmits a replicationacquisition request including a child management ID associated with amanagement file of a replication acquisition target from among childmanagement IDs in the post office box confirmation information, to theinformation management server apparatus, which includes a unit which,when receiving the replication acquisition request, reads an entity IDassociated with the child management ID in the replication acquisitionrequest, from the system management table, reads an electronic data mainbody associated with the entity ID from the data original copymanagement table, generates a child management file including the childmanagement ID and the electronic data main body, deletes the childmanagement ID from the post office box management table, and transmitsthe child management file to the information media controllingapparatus; and a unit which, when receiving the child management fileincluding the child management ID in the replication acquisition requestfrom the information management server apparatus by transmitting thereplication acquisition request, writes the child management file in themanagement file management table.
 4. A program which is used in aninformation management server apparatus which includes a storage deviceand communicates individually with a plurality of information mediacontrolling apparatuses, and which is stored in a non-transitorycomputer readable storage medium, the program comprising: a firstprogram code causing the information management server apparatus toexecute processing of writing in the storage device a system managementtable in which at least one association between a management ID and anentity ID and at least one association between a child management ID andthe management ID are written; a second program code causing theinformation management server apparatus to execute processing of writingin the storage device a data original copy management table in which atleast one entity ID and at least one electronic data main body arewritten; a third program code causing the information management serverapparatus to execute processing of writing in the storage device a postoffice box management table in which at least one association between apost office box ID and a child management ID is written; a fourthprogram code causing the information management server apparatus toexecute processing of, when receiving new registration requestinformation including an electronic data main body of a managementtarget from at least one of the plurality of information mediacontrolling apparatuses, issues a management ID and an entity ID for theelectronic data main body, based on the new registration requestinformation, registers the management ID and the entity ID inassociation with each other in the system management table, andregisters the entity ID and the electronic data main body in the dataoriginal copy management table; a fifth program code causing theinformation management server apparatus to execute processing of, whenreceiving replication registration request information including amanagement ID associated with electronic data of a replicationregistration target and a post office box ID associated with aninformation media controlling apparatus of a replication acquisitiondestination, from at least one of the plurality of information mediacontrolling apparatuses, issues a child management ID different from themanagement ID in the replication registration request information,associates the child management ID with the management ID in thereplication registration request information, from among management IDsin the system management table and registers the issued child managementID in the system management table, associates the child management IDwith the post office box ID in the replication registration requestinformation to register the child management ID and the post office boxID in the post office box management table, and transmits replicationregistration processing result information including the childmanagement ID to the at least one information media controllingapparatus that transmits the replication registration requestinformation; a sixth program code causing the information managementserver apparatus to execute processing of, when receiving a post officebox check request including the post office box ID from at least one ofthe plurality of information media controlling apparatuses, reads thechild management ID associated with the post office box ID in the postoffice box check request, from the post office box management table, andtransmits post office box confirmation information including at leastthe child management ID, to the at least one information mediacontrolling apparatus which transmits the post office box check request;and a seventh program code causing the information management serverapparatus to execute processing of, when receiving a replicationacquisition request including a child management ID associated with amanagement file of a replication acquisition target from among childmanagement IDs in the post office box confirmation information, from atleast one of the plurality of information media controlling apparatuses,reads an entity ID associated with the child management ID in thereplication acquisition request, from the system management table, readsan electronic data main body associated with the entity ID from the dataoriginal copy management table, generates a child management fileincluding the child management ID and the electronic data main body,deletes the child management ID from the post office box managementtable, and transmits the child management file to the at least oneinformation media controlling apparatus which transmits the replicationacquisition request.
 5. A program which is used in an information mediacontrolling apparatus which communicates with an information managementserver apparatus and includes a storage device, and which is stored in anon-transitory computer readable storage medium, the program comprising:a first program code causing the information media controlling apparatusto execute processing of writing in the storage device a management filemanagement table in which a child management file including a managementID and an electronic data main body is written; a second program codecausing the information media controlling apparatus to executeprocessing of transmitting new registration request informationincluding an electronic data main body of a management target, to theinformation management server apparatus which, when receiving the newregistration request information, issues a management ID and an entityID for the electronic data main body, based on the new registrationrequest information, registers the management ID and the entity ID, inassociation with each other, in a system management table stored in asystem management table storing unit, and registers the entity ID andthe electronic data main body in a data original copy management tablestored in a data original copy management table storing unit; a thirdprogram code causing the information media controlling apparatus toexecute processing of transmitting replication registration requestinformation including a management ID associated with electronic data ofa replication registration target and a post office box ID associatedwith an information media controlling apparatus of a replicationacquisition destination, to the information management server apparatuswhich, when the receiving replication registration request information,issues a child management ID different from the management ID in thereplication registration request information, associates the childmanagement ID with the management ID in the replication registrationrequest information, from among management IDs written in the systemmanagement table and registers the issued child management ID in thesystem management table, associates the child management ID with thepost office box ID in the replication registration request informationto register the child management ID and the post office box ID in a postoffice box management table stored in a post office box management tablestoring unit, and transmits replication registration processing resultinformation including the child management ID to the information mediacontrolling apparatus; a fourth program code causing the informationmedia controlling apparatus to execute processing of transmitting a postoffice box check request including the post office box ID to theinformation management server apparatus which, when receiving the postoffice box check request, reads the child management ID associated withthe post office box ID in the post office box check request, from thepost office box management table, and transmits post office boxconfirmation information including at least the child management ID, tothe information media controlling apparatus; a fifth program codecausing the information media controlling apparatus to executeprocessing of, when receiving the post office box confirmationinformation including the child management ID associated with the postoffice box ID in the post office box check request from the informationmanagement server apparatus by transmitting the post office box checkrequest, transmits a replication acquisition request including a childmanagement ID associated with a management file of a replicationacquisition target from among child management IDs in the post officebox confirmation information, to the information management serverapparatus which, when receiving the replication acquisition request,reads an entity ID associated with the child management ID in thereplication acquisition request, from the system management table, readsan electronic data main body associated with the entity ID from the dataoriginal copy management table, generates a child management fileincluding the child management ID and the electronic data main body,deletes the child management ID from the post office box managementtable, and transmits the child management file to the information mediacontrolling apparatus; and a six program code causing the informationmedia controlling apparatus to execute processing of, when receiving thechild management file including the child management ID in thereplication acquisition request from the information management serverapparatus by transmitting the replication acquisition request, writesthe child management file in the management file management table.